


A Twist of Fate

by Stacysmash



Series: Random Rare Pairs [32]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Royalty, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-07 14:06:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16409873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stacysmash/pseuds/Stacysmash
Summary: Prince Kageyama was sent by his family to break the curse set on a princess who was locked away in a tower, surrounded by ferocious beasts. When he arrives, however, nothing was quite what he expected. What he ends up finding there may prove to be more than he could have ever hoped for.Ask Challenge! Pick a rare pair and genre:Ushijima x Kageyama & Romance





	A Twist of Fate

**Author's Note:**

> For insanelypurplez on tumblr!! Thank you for requesting!! I was craving to do some Ushijima and you delivered ;)

Kageyama urged his horse forward into the section of forest that seemed ominously dark compared to the rest of it. The gnarled trees had ashy bark that looked like they were decomposing, and mossy ivy hung from the twisting branches like gossamer curtains wafting above Kageyama’s head. For most of the ride, he was greeted with various melodies of birdsong and the energetic chattering of squirrels. It was unnerving how silent everything seemed around him, only a faint creaking of the trees in a wayward breeze.

Kageyama straightened in his saddle and gave his horse a pat to soothe its nerves. He was a little nervous himself, but it was hardly due to his gloomy surroundings or what challenges waited for him on the path ahead. It was the _prize_ in the tower that filled him with terror. His family sent him to release the princess from the spell of the witch, kissing her lips to awaken her from an unnatural sleep. Kageyama cringed at the thought since he had never kissed a woman before.

_At least she’ll be asleep and won’t mind if I’m no good. Should I do it softly? But what if it doesn’t take? I should give her a strong kiss! Oh, but I don’t want to hurt her…_

Kageyama scowled and muttered under his breath, ignoring the haunting howl of the wind and the branches stretching out to snag on his clothing. He was so preoccupied with his duty to press his lips on a strange girl, that it came as a surprise when he looked around and found he was no longer in the forest. It was a large clearing with a tower in the center, surrounded by thick trees and sheer cliffs behind it.

Kageyama halted his horse and looked around in confusion. The rumors had spoken of monstrous creatures guarding the princess, but all he saw was a graveyard of bones littered across the tufts of brown grass. The witch who created the whole dilemma was said to have unspeakable power, so Kageyama continued warily with his eyes lingering on the bones. It was possible they would reanimate once he entered the space, but even as he traveled further in the bones remained still.

He pulled his horse to a stop outside of the dilapidated tower, keeping his hand on the hilt of his sword as his eyes scoured over everything in sight. But nothing happened, and finally, he swung out of the saddle with a huff. The only aspects of the whole situation he was looking forward to were fighting some monsters and evading the witch’s tricks.

_Maybe there’s something waiting for me in the tower_ , He thought hopefully. Leaving his horse to graze on whatever grass it could find, Kageyama unsheathed his sword and entered the tower through the crumbling hole in the stone facade. It was a narrow, circular space, room for only the spiraling staircase rising high above him. He gingerly made his way up the stone steps, mindful of some parts that were already crumbling to dust.

His senses were keen, aware of every fragment of dust caught in a narrow sunbeam from the small window above him. He did not sense any magic, however, and he was starting to wonder if he had stumbled upon the wrong tower in the center of a bewitched forest. The only thing surprising him was the lack of surprises. That was, until he reached the top level of the tower, entering some sort of bedroom.

It was dusty and crumbling, like the rest of the tower, yet it held some cozy and feminine features. Flowered curtains fluttered in the open window and an elegant four-poster bed stood in the center with scarlet finishings, gold embroidered into the shimmery material. None of those things were too surprising since the room was made to house a young lady of royalty. It was the figure sound asleep on the bed that stopped Kageyama in his tracks.

He was expecting a beautiful young woman, but instead, it was a man… a huge man. He was so tall his feet were propped up on the end of the bed and the top of his hair skimmed the ornate headboard behind him. Truthfully, he didn’t seem much taller than Kageyama, but his shoulders were broader and everything about him exuded an intimidating aura.

Kageyama spotted the man’s sword propped on a nearby chair, just out of the man’s reach as his chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. He slipped his own sword back in his sheath since he was certain the man wasn’t in a condition to fight and silently approached the bed. Despite some faint scarring across his face and the calluses on the man’s hands, Kageyama was struck by his handsome features and obvious nobility. His clothes were rugged but of high-quality, and a strange thought began to swirl around Kageyama’s brain.

_Is this the princess? Maybe the rumors were wrong, and it was a prince instead._

It caught Kageyama off-guard how relieved he was to consider it. All his life he had ignored the way his eyes lingered on knights of impressive stature rather than the elegant ladies in their flowing gowns. He always attributed it to how clueless he was at speaking to women. But as he gripped his hand into his chest, feeling his throbbing heart underneath, he was beginning to wonder if it was deeper than that.

He slipped a knee across the satin bedding, settling on the soft mattress so he could hover over the man’s slumbering form. His head swiveled around, checking for any last-minute traps but sensed nothing amiss. He flicked his tongue over his lips to wet them and leaned down, hesitating for a moment before squeezing his eyes shut and grazing his lips over the other man’s.

Kageyama’s eyes flew open when he felt the man’s breath hitch, giving him a full view of radiant olive-green eyes. He scrambled further back on the bed with a gasp, placing his hands against his heated cheeks.

“I’m sorry!”

The man groaned softly as he sat up, resting his forehead against his palm, and eyed Kageyama warily.

“Why did you kiss me?” He asked bluntly, his voice as deep as a rumble of thunder.

“Well, that’s what woke you up right? From the curse?”’

The man arched an eyebrow and looked Kageyama over carefully.

“The curse was on a princess. Do I look like a princess?”

“No! I just thought— maybe the rumors had it wrong since you were the only one here.”

“Ah, I suppose that makes sense. I’m like you, sent by my family to awaken the princess though I suspect she was already awakened and has since moved on with her true love. I was so exhausted when I arrived that I decided to rest before returning to my kingdom with nothing.”

“That’s such a relief,” Kageyama sighed, leaning back against one of the posts. The man with the green eyes blinked at him curiously as a whisper of a smile curled on his lips.

“And why is that? Afraid of the monsters and traps?”

“No! I’m kind of pissed I missed out on that, it’s been ages since I’ve had a good fight! I didn’t want to kiss that girl.”

“Ah, but you kissed me easily enough.” The man’s smile grew as Kageyama’s face flushed bright red and his eyes flickered everywhere around the room to avoid the man’s eyes. The man chuckled and reached out, ruffling his rough fingers into Kageyama’s hair. “It’s alright. It was nice.”

“It… it was?”

“My name is Ushijima Wakatoshi, prince of Shiratorizawa.”

“Oh! I’m Kageyama Tobio, third prince of Karasuno!” He shouted, leaping to his feet and bowing low at his waist. “It’s an honor to meet you, your Majesty!”

“The pleasure is mine, but you can relax. I suppose we should go back to our families before they think we were killed in battle.”

“Yes, I suppose so,” Kageyama muttered as he straightened up. Ushijima slipped off the bed and stretched to the ceiling. Kageyama blinked as he watched the man’s fingertips nearly graze the cobwebbed ceiling. He was correct in assuming that Ushijima wasn’t much taller than himself, but his entire presence was startling. He felt shivers flutter down his spine, wondering what it would be like to spar with such a man.

After Ushijima slipped his sword back into his sheath, they both left the remains of the princess’s bedroom and wandered down the spiral staircase.

“I didn’t see your horse outside, Ushijima-san.”

“Ah, I left him on the outskirts of the clearing. I didn’t want him to get caught up in any fighting.”

“Hmm, I should have thought of that. I was so lost in my thoughts I rode my own straight into the clearing.”

Ushijima chuckled again behind him, the gentle sound echoing over the stone walls. Kageyama didn’t usually like it when others laughed at him, but he didn’t feel the same about Ushijima. The man was more amused and Kageyama felt the insatiable desire to make him laugh more. He had no idea how to do such a thing, however. He left that to his ridiculous squire, Hinata, who could even make Kageyama laugh sometimes with his antics.

He squinted as he emerged in the sunlight and flinched when he saw a raggedy old woman shuffling toward them. She made a noise of surprise when she saw them, wrapping her black cloak tighter over her shoulders as she blinked at them with her ice-blue eyes.

“Oh! I didn’t think anyone would be here since the spell was broken.”

“I’m sorry for the intrusion, Ma’am,” Ushijima explained with a polite bow. “Our kingdoms had not yet been notified about the Princess already being rescued.”

“No trouble at all young man! Do you both need to leave so quickly? I could fix you up something delicious before you leave.”

“I would not wish to inconvenience you. Kageyama and I really must be returning, thank you.”

Both the young princes bowed low to the woman, and she giggled as she waved them off. Instead of heading straight to his own horse, Ushijima walked Kageyama to his own, holding the horse’s reins to keep it still.

“Thank you, Ushijima-san,” Kageyama said, gazing into the soothing sea of green of Ushijima’s eyes as he gripped onto the saddle before lifting himself up.

“I’m glad we met, Kageyama. Hopefully, our paths will cross once again, perhaps on the quest to battle more monsters,” Ushijima replied, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk. Kageyama had to force himself to remain focused on the present moment and not instantly fall into a daydream of hunting monsters with the strapping prince.

“I would like that.”

“Oh! Are you boys looking for monsters?” The old woman cried from the doorway of the tower. Kageyama exchanged a confused look with Ushijima, surprised she could hear their quiet words at that distance. “If you go up that mountain pass it’s just full of nasty beasts! Honestly, clearing them out would be a favor to me and many folks living up this way. It makes it hard to go anywhere when you’re worried about being eaten.”

“Hmm, perhaps we should see what we can do for her, it’s the only decent thing to do. Besides, it might be fun to see who can kill more fearsome beasts,” Ushijima murmured, his low voice almost playful as he leaned toward him. Kageyama quickly turned back toward the saddle and lifted himself into it, trying to hide his heated face from Ushijima.

“I think I may surprise you, Ushijima-san. Should I wait here for you to fetch your horse?”

“I’ll meet you at the edge of the clearing. Don’t leave without me,” He said with a wider grin than before as he turned the other direction.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Kageyama muttered under his breath, his own lips stretching into a smile. It felt strange, it wasn’t an expression he typically wore but he couldn’t resist under the circumstances. His horse pranced underneath him, sensing his excitement and with a light urging from Kageyama, the horse loped across the clearing toward their meeting spot.

The old woman cackled to herself as she turned away from the doorway and began the perilous climb up the steps.

“Ha, that’s two for two! And my mother said I’d never be a good matchmaker. That old hag could never put anyone together no matter how much magic she used. And I didn’t even have to use one bit for those two handsome boys! Hm, I wonder who I can put together next...”

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is the last of the current rare pair asks! With that said, I may be rather quiet over November since I'm hoping to participate in NaNoWriMo for the first time. And after that, I have a couple of events going on as well, so I may not do another ask challenge until after the holidays. Be sure to check me out on tumblr (same username) for any updates (and an insane amount of reblogged kurodai and haikyuu art, lol)


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